Animal board seeks ‘gaushalas’ in jails

Sumeer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 17

Taking note of a representation from a city-based NGO, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has written a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary and the DGP to establish ‘gaushalas’ in jails in the state.

The City-based NGO, Aasra Welfare Society, had submitted a representation to the AWBI to establish a gaushala in the jails in the state based on which the latter has written to the state government and requested them to accommodate stray cattle in jails.

Notably, as part of animal welfare the NGO in its representation had cited examples of the Madhya Pradesh Government where gaushalas were established in jail premises. Taking note, the animal welfare body in turn written to the Punjab Government to consider such a valuable scheme and replicate the same in the state where jail inmates can be utilised for taking care of these animals.

The Tribune had highlighted the matter in these columns when the NGO members had submitted a similar representation to the district administration on August 3 this year.

Talking to The Tribune, Ramesh Mehta, president of the Aasra Welfare Society (NGO), said, “We had proposed the idea of accommodating stray cattle in jails for their welfare as well as safety of residents of the district to the administration. The administration took note of it and promised that all possible modalities in this regard would be worked out to replicate the model in the district. If the state government replicates the similar model to accommodate stray cattle in jails then the stray cattle menace would be resolved to a great extent.”

Mehta added, “The number of stray cattle has been increasing in the district with every passing day. It is high time we adopted and replicated such innovative ideas so that commuters are not put to inconvenience.”